Means for filling and sealing a vessel



Dec. .3, 1935. T. D. Du PLAN-HER 2,022,656

MEANS FOR IBILING- AND SEALING A VESSEL Filed Aug. 29, 1952 f (f7 Y zz ,m s

Patented Dec. 3, 1935 PATENT QFFICE lWEAN S FOR FILLING AND SEALING A VESSEL Titan D. Du Plantier, Brooklyn, N. Y., assigner 0f one-fourth to Arthur Ladson, New York, N. Y.

Application August 29, '1932, serial No. 630,911

8 Claims.

'I'he present invention relates to a method and apparatus for lling and sealing a vessel, such as a bottle or the like.

More particularly, my invention concerns the ready evacuation of the vessel to be lled, the insertion of its intended contents thereinto, and the aflixing of a suitable seal thereto. Preferably this seal is designed of a waxy composition, having a comparatively low melting point. This sealing composition is usually maintained in a heated, fluid condition and is applied in that form to the lled bottle, Where in the preferred form, it is rapidly chilled and solidified by external cooling means. Preferably, the sequence of operations, (evacuating, lling, and sealing), is controlled by a single instrumentality.

One object of my invention' therefore, is to provide a single apparatus for evacuating, filling, and sealing a vessel.

Another object is to produce a new method of evacuating, filling, and sealing a vessel.

Another object is to produce a multi-part apparatus for evacuating, filling, and sealing a vessel.

Another object is to produce a substantially one-piece apparatus for evacuating, lling, and sealing a vessel.

Another object is to produce an apparatus having a single means for controlling the evacuating, lling, and sealing of a vessel.

Another object is to produce a method of controlling from a single station, the evacuating,

cooling, and sealing of a vessel.

Another object is to produce an apparatus for evacuating, lling, and sealing a vessel, wherein the sealing material is maintained in fluid condition until applied to the vessel, and is then rapidly chilled and solidified.

Yet another object is to produce a method for maintaining a sealing material molten, controlling from a single station the evacuation, and filling of a vessel and application thereto of the molten sealing material, and passing a cooling fluid about the sealing material so applied, to rapidly chill and solidify the same.

Other objects and advantages will be more fully developed hereinafter.

. One form of my invention is described hereinafter, merely `by way of example, with reference to the attached drawing, wherein is shown, in sectional plan, one form of the said apparatus.

The apparatus is shown as comprising an outer body portion or casing I, to which may be threaded or otherwise secured at the upper end 2, a cap or head portion 3; and in similar manner at its lower end 4, a base member 5 is secured, adapted for the reception of the neck of the vessel (usually a bottle) to be lled. These parts are preferably provided of glass, or other inactive insulating material, but of course may also be provided of 5 any other suitable material. Preferably, a sealing Washer or gasket ll is provided between the lower end il of the housing I and the upper end of the base member 5, in order to ensure a liquid tight joint therebetween. It is further to be 10 understood that while a multi-part construction has been disclosed, to facilitate ready dismantling and cleaning, it is equally Within the province of the invention to form the apparatus casing of a single piece, and to rely upon other methods of 15 cleaning.

Approximately at its center, the cap 3 is preferably provided with an inturned depending and threaded nange 6, which is shown as receiving a so-called sealing compound inlet I, the pur- 20 pose of which will be more fully described hereinafter.

In the construction shown, the skirt 8 of the inlet 'I extends beyond the edge of the rim 6, and is threaded throughout its length, to receive 25 the correspondingly threaded throat 9 of the chamber I0, adapted to receive the sealing compound. This chamber III, as in fact are nearly all of the other parts to be described hereinafter, except as speciiically noted to the contrary is 30 preferably formed of glass; but it is obvious that it may also be made of any other suitable material.

The base portion 5 is preferably provided with a gasket I I to resiliently receive the neck of a vessel to be filled, while a rim I2 of rubber or 35 the like material is provided for a similar purpose. Because of its hollow construction, the base 5 is provided with an annular recess or chamber I 3, and in the preferred instance is provided with at least one` inlet and outlet I4 and 40 I5, for the circulation of a cooling fluid, the purpose of which will be explained hereinafter, in greater detail.

Broken into the wall of the chamber I at I6, or secured thereto in any other desired man- 45 ner or location, is a tubular member I'I, adapted to be connected at its outer end to a vacuum pump, not shown, and at its inner end, through a stop cock to be more fully described, to a passage I 8. 50

At its lower end, the sealing compound chamber I is threaded to a nipple I9, provided on an inturned portion of the casing I, and having la passage 2li, connecting through another portV of the said stop cock, with a passage 2I ex- 55 tending just short of the neck of the vessel to be lled.

A third passage 22 extends annularly about the passage 2i, and terminates short thereof, for reasons to be more fully explained. Thus passage 22, at its upper end, communicates with the said passage lf3, and with another passage 23, which last-mentioned passage, through still another port in the stop cock, communicates with a passage likewise broken into the Wall of the casing i, and leading to the supply of filling material, not shown.

It will be noted that the casing l and chamber ii? provide between them a somewhat annular-shaped recess having an inlet 25 and an outlet 'l, for the circulation of a heat-ing fluid past the chamber il? and passages E@ and 2 l, to maintain the sealing material in iiuid condition.

Located in any desired manner in the casing I, a seat 28 is provided for the reception of a three-way stop cock 2d, having ports Sil, 3l, and 32. The casing is shown as having a flange 33 adjacent to and forming a continuation of the seat 2S for the stop cock, and this flange is preferably threaded to receive a cap The stop cock proper terminates in a shoulder from which extends a stern having a still'riurther portion Il?, oi reduced diameter, passing through the cap Sii, and terminating in a handle 38. Between the shoulder 35 arid the inner surface of the cap Bil, a compression spring Sie is provided about the stem tending to constantly urge the stop cock into its seat, so that it can be rotated only against the energy oi the spring and continuously provide a perfect seal.

The operation of the apparatus is somewhat as followsz- The vessel to be filled is placed in position inthe opening le provided in the base 5, against the gasket `il and rubber edge l2. -The passage of cooling fluid through the recess i3 is started.

`Sealing material previously has been stored in the chamber it, through the inlet ll, and this material is maintained in iuid condition by the circulation or" heating fluid through the recess 25, entering at and exiting through 2l. The stop cock is now turned so that the port @il connects the passages il and all the 'other ports being closed. At this time the vessel, through ports 22, i8, bore 3Q, and port il, is connected to a vacuum pump, and is rapidly evacuated.

Following the evacuation step, the stop cock is rotated until the port 32 connects the passagesZ and thus establishing a communication between the vessel, the passages 22 and 23, the port 32, and the passage 2d to the source oi" iilling material for the vessel, the otherrports of the stop cock being closed.

The vessel now being filled, the stop cock Vis `still further rotated until, the other ports being closed, the port il connects the chamber it, through passage 2li, port Si and passage il, with the vessel, Vso that fluid sealing material hows onto the surface of the filling material in the vessel, Where, under action of the cooling huid in the recess i3, it is rapidly chilled and solidified.

1t is to be noted that the passage 2l is longer than the surrounding passage 222, Experience has shown thatrif this condition does not exist, and

the passages terminate in the same plane, some of the sealing material will be sucked into the passage I8.

While only a single; three-way cock has been It is obvious that, once my invention has been disclosed in the broad aspects, numerous modifications and adaptations falling within the province of the invention will readily suggest themselves to those skilled in the art. Accordingly, it is intended that my invention be limited only by the scope of the appended claims.

I claimti. An apparatus for lling and sealing a vessel, comprising connections to an evacuating means, connections to a source of fillingI material, a source of liquid sealing material, means for interconnecting the connections to the evacuating means and the Vessel, to evacuate the latter, means to interconnect the connections to the source of filling material and the Vessel, to fill the latter, and means to connect the source of sealing material and the vessel, to supply sealing material thereto, each of said means consisting in part ci" a discharge orifice common to all three means and adapted to connect with said vessel.

2. l-in apparatus for filling and sealing a vessel,

comprising connections to an. evacuating means, connections to a source of filling material, a source of liquid sealing material, means for interconnecting the connections to the evacuating means and the vessel, to evacuate the latter, means to interconnect the connections to the source of filling material and `the vessel, to fill the latter, means to connect the source of sealing material and the vessel, to supply sealing material thereto, each of said means consisting in part of a discharge orifice common to all three means and adapted to connect with said vessel, and means for heating said sealing material to liquid condition, prior to insertion in said vessel.

3. An apparatus for rilling and sealing a vessel,

comprising connections to an evacuating means, connections to a sou ce of filling material, a source of liquid sealing material, means for interconnecting the connections to the evacuating means and the vessel, to'evacuate the latter, means to interconnect the connections vto the source of lling material and the vessel, to ll the latter, means to connect the source of sealing material and the vessel, to supply sealing material thereto, means ior heating said sealing i material in said source thereof to liquid condition, and means disposed externally of the neck oi the vessel, for cooling and solidifying the liquid'sealing material inserted therein.

4. An apparatus for filling and sealing a vessel,

comprising connections to an evacuating means,

connections to a source of iillingmaterial, a source ci liquid sealing material, separate means interi connecting each oi the connections of said evacuating means, the connections of said source of lling, and said source of sealing material to said vessel, and asingle means for effecting said connections, one at a time, While maintaining the other connections interrupted, to successively evacuate, ill, and seal said vessel.

5. An apparatus for iilling and sealing a vessel, comprising connections to an evacuating means, connections to a source of lling material, a source of liquid sealing material, separate means interconnecting each of saidconnections to said evacuating means, said connections to said source of iilling material, and said source of sealing material to said vessel, said separate means each consisting in part of a discharge orifice common to all of said separate means and adapted to connect with said vessel, and means for maintaining said sealing material in liquid condition prior to insertion in said Vessel, said vessel beingV successively evacuated, filled, and sealed.

6. A unitary vessel-filling and sealing apparatus comprising an outer casing, a chamber disposed therein and adapted to receive a' liquid sealing material, means deiining passages extending through said casing and adapted to be connected respectively to evacuating means and a source of filling material for the vessel, a threeway stop cock disposed in said casing having ports communicating one with each of said chamber and said passage-forming means, means at the bottom of the casing to which the vessel to be iilled is fitted, and means defining additional passages communicating between the vessel and the ports of the stop cock, whereby the Vessel may be connected at will directly either to the chamber or to either of the two iirst-mentioned passages, to the exclusion of the others.

'7. A unitary vessel-nlling and sealing apparatus comprising an outer casing, a chamber disposed therein and adapted to receive a liquid sealing material, means dening passages extending through said casing and adapted to be connected respectively to evacuating means and a source of filling material for the vessel, the

casing and the chamber forming between them a recess for the passage of fluid to heat the sealing material to liquid consistency, inlet and outlet means on the casing for the passage of said heating fluid, a three-way stop cock disposed in said casing having ports communicating one with each of said chamber and said passage-forming means, means at the bottom of the casing to which the vessel to be filled is itted, and means defining additional passages communicating between the vessel and the ports of the stop cock, whereby the Vessel may be connected at will directly either to the chamber or to either of the two-iirst-mentioned passages, to the exclusion of the others, said means at the bottom of the casing having a recess disposed therein for the passage of a cooling fluid, to cool and solidify the liquid sealing material after the latter has been inserted on the filled vessel.

`8. A unitary vessel-lling and sealing apparatus comprising an outer casing, a chamber disposed therein and adapted to receive a liquid sealing material, means defining passages extending through said casing and adapted to be connected respectively to evacuating means and a source of iilling material for the vessel, a threeway stop cock disposed in said casing having ports communicating one with each of said chamber and said passage-forming means, means at the bottom of the casing to which the vessel to be iilled is fitted, and means defining additional passages communicating between the vessel and the ports of the stop cock, whereby the Vessel may be connected at will directly either to the chamber or to either of the two iirst-mentioned' passages, to the exclusion of the others, the said parts of the apparatus being formed of glass.

TITAN D. DU PLAN'I'IER. 

